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THE 



Flu ENDLESS OliniAN, 

AN Al'FECriNG NAllUATIVE 

OF TUB 

TRIALS A N D A F F L I C T I O N S 

* 

OK 

SOPHIA JOHNSON, 

THE EARLY VICTIM OF A CRUEL STEP-MUTHER. 




MITT 



VVhose Afflictions and Singular Adventures |irobably exceed t^iosc of any 

oilier [^ American Female living, who lias been doomed in early 

life to drink deep of the cup of sorrow. 



NEW- YORK: 

PRINTED FOR THE PU13LSIHER &. I'Rol'RlE'lOR, S. JOHNSON. 

1812. 



EsZ / 
J6^ 



60574 

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year of our 
Lord, 1842, by Sophia Johnson, in the Clerk's Office, for the 
Southern District of New-York. 



THE 



FRIENDLESS ORPHAN, &c 



I was born of reputable, but not very wealthy pa- 
rents, in a thinly settled villas^e in Montgomery Coun- 
ty, State of N. v., in the year 1798, and from which 
period I have ever been the child of bitter allliction, 
and one whom misfortune thus early appeared to have 
marked as her own. When but six months old it was 
my unhappy lot to be bereaved of my mother, an age 
at which it cannot be supposed that I could be very 
sensible of her affection for me, or of my irreparable 
loss by her death. I had then but one brother, two 
I years older than myself; my father lived a widower 
about eighteen months, in which time 1 have no reason 
to doubt but that both myself and brother were the 
chief objects of his regard and and affectit)n; but un- 
fortunately for both of us, before I had attained the 
age of three years, he again married, when still almost 
helpless, I was committed to the charge of a step-mo- 
ther, and one whom, if the opmions of the friends of 
my own dear deceased mother can be relied on, was 
much her inferior, in maternal love and affection ; but 
of the good and bad qualities of the former 1 was not 
able correctly to judge, until of an age the better to 
do so, which was of an age quite early enough to learn 



6 

by bitter experience, the difference of treatment which ' 
children would naturally expect to receive from Iheir 
own dear mothers, and that which many of them nioje 
unfortunate, would doubtless receive from their affec- 
tionate step-mothers. As regarded myself it must suf- 
fice for me to say, that I soon found myself so great 
an object of wanton cruelty and neglect, as to satisfy 
me that there must be a great difference, in some 
instances at least, between natural and assumed pa- 
rental affection. The evil and overbearing spirit of 
my step-mother, and her lack of regard for his off- 
spring, could not escape the notice and resentment of 
my beloved father, and betAveen him and her, finally 
severed every cord of love and affection. With a kind 
and indulgent father to protect us, my beloved brother 
and myself, had much less to fear from the effects of 
the ungovernable passion of one, who seemed only to 
view us with a degree of perfect hatred. Bat alas, of 
this only remaining friend, (our father) it was the will 
of Heaven finally to deprive us. By his sudden death, 
when in the eleventh year of my age, I became a poor 
friendless orphan. By this melancholy and unexpect^ 
ed event, I was lefl no other home than that for which • 
by the death of ray honored father, I could no longer 
feel much attachment; dreary and unpleasant as it * 
had become, however, I no other had I then, to which 
I could fly for succor, and no other real friend remain- * 
ing to sympathize with me in my afflictions, but an on- (^ 
ly brother, yet too young to afford me that protection 
which my situation oft required. It was with him 
however that 1 was yet permitted to mingle my tears, 
when smarting under the chastising rod of one, by 
reason of whose inhumanity, deserved not the endear- 
ing name of mother. It would indeed, be too heart- 
rending to my kind readers, were I attempt to par- 
ticularize every instance in which I was made the sub- 
ject of her outrage and abuse ; it ought to be suffici- 
ent for me here to say, that I was not only compelled 
in the coldest winter weather, to go thinly clad and 
without shoes, but often inhumanry denied good and 



wholesome food suflicient to satislV tlic cravinsrs of na- 
tiirc, and rrequciitly most severely cliastised for the 
smallest, and oft lor no oftence al all. 

Mv not less uiirortiinate brother, althoii'^ii older 
than mvself, seldom laileil to receive his share of the 
reproach and abuse of one, wlu), for his father's sake, 
if lor no other, was entitled in some small degree, at 
least, to her rcs^ard and alFection ; but, happily for him 
he soon attained an age which enabled him to seek 
abroad that rr])ose, which his native home, and once 
leaceable and happy abode of his deceased parents, 
no Ioniser afibrded him. 

It was soon after the commencement of the late 
American War: that he became old enough to enlist 
is a soldier, in t!ie servico of his country ; and which, 
for reasons already mentioned, he was llrmly resolved 
to do; when about to take the important step, he 
communicated to me, and to me only, his intentions, 
which at the tlioui^jit of being thereby left entirely 
friendless, produced in me, as might be supposed, a 
s!iock so severe that I was not able lor some time 
to overcome ; but viewing his interest and my own, 
iiiseperable, and on the reflection tiiat it micrht prove 
advantageously to him, not only as regarding his pre- 
sent, but future welfare, I became more reconciled 
and consented to the separation. 

It was early in the morning of the Hth of August 
1814, that my alVcctionate brotiier, with a heavy heart 
ind tearful eye, bid me adieu, and soon after with a 
mmber of other new recruits proceeded from Green- 
bash (near Albany) to the West, to assist in the de- 
ence of some of the American frontier settlements, 
hen supposed to be most in danger of invasion. I had 
low reached the sixteenth year of my age, an age at 
►vhich my brother probably thought me better able to 
Drotcct myself, or he would have been less willing to 
lave left me unj)rotected, in the power of one, Irom 
.vhose hands he ^vell knew from past experience, I 
lad no reason to expect an increased share of mercy, 
brtunately for me, however, by the kind will of a Di- 



8 

vine Providence, I soon found after his departure, that 
I was not left so entirely friendless as I at first ima- 
gined ; the kind and tender-hearted wife of a respect- 
able farmer (who resided in the same village, and whose 
only son had too previously enlisted in the service of 
his country) from the moment that she heard of the 
departure and destination of my brother, and the un- 
pleasant and lonely situation in which I was left, ma- 
nifested an unusual degree of interest in my welfare, 
and proved my faithful friend and adviser in everything 
immediately relating to me, until she thereby became 
an object of the jealousy of my hateful step-mother : 
who, not insensible of her harsh treatment toward, and 
total disregard for me, became suspicious (as she well 
might) as to the cause and motives of the attachment 
which my newly acquired friend and myself, had form- 
ed for each other 

From the moment of the discovery of our intimacy, 
my mother-in-law seemed more intent on abridging my 
liberties, and to prevent my having intercourse with 
any one, residing beyond my prescribed bounds. I had 
long flattered myself, that as I grew older, and more 
advanced towards the years of womanhood, I should 
be treated with less severity, and with a respect more 
becoming my age ; but even in these reasonable ex- 
pectations, I found myself mistaken, for it appeared 
that neither the remorse of conscience, or respect for 
my age or sex, could in any way diminish the domi- 
neering and overbearing spirit of my step-mother ; in- 
deed when I had almost reached the seventeenth year 
of my age, I found myself blessed with but few more 
indulgences, and enjoying but a little more liberty than 
the most degraded felon incarcerated within the 
gloomy walls of a prison. 

It might be truly said that I at this period, began to 
feel more sensibly the loss of my liberty, and to thirst 
for that freedom, which I thought it not very improb- 
able, my dear brother was then contending for, with 
the invading armies of a foreign tyrant, and yet, as j 
regarded myself, probably but a little less tyrannical! 



than she, who professed to bciiiy Step-mother and the 
widow of my beloved deceased FutliiT ) The more 
frequently that my thoughts returned to my brotlier, 
the more I lamented his absence, and h)ui/ed for tlie 
arrival of the happy moment ^vhen I could greet his 
-welcome return — but, whether that hapj)y moment 
would ever arrive, I began seriously to doubt, as since 
his departure, I had not received any direct intelli- 
gence of him, although I was inlormed that accounts 
were almost daily received from the lines, ol' battles 
fought, and victories won. After an absence of nearly 
two years, the son of the female friend of whom I have 
spoken, safely returned home, but was unable to give 
me any information respecting my brother, more than 
that if he had enlisted to serve during the war, some 
time might yet elapse before his return. 

After remaining a while longer in a state of suspense, 
as regarded the fate of my brother, and without any 
flattering prospects of a cessation of hostilities, either 
at home or abroad, I at length formed (what many may 
esteem the icild project) of attempting, alone, and un- 
protected, to sojourn to the far west in quest of my 
brother on whom alone my future happiness depended; 
and so great was my anxiety to learn his fate, that I felt 
myself both able and willing to endure privations, and 
to surmount almost every difficulty, that mi-jht present 
to impede me in my hazardous journey. My iirst step 
after having thus resolved, was to seek a private inter- 
view with my female friend, and to communicate to her 
my newly devised plan, which, when first disclosed, 
met her decided disapprobation, not only as highly pre- 
sumptuous, but in her opinion, quite impracticable. 
But finding me resolute and determined, and with the 
hrm belief that I possessed an ability to accomplish it, 
she tinally yielded, but with the advice that if I should 
really attempt it, for ray greater personal safety and as 
the best means to avoid insult (the whole western coun- 
try being at that period fdled with soMier.s, travelling 
to and from their appointed posts) that I should travel 
in disguise, clad in male apparel, and as nearly corrcs- 

2 



10 

ponding with that of the uniform of a^ American 
soldier, as possible, not omitting even the musket, and 
knapsack, as the latter would be convenient for the 
conveyance of many small necessary articles, as well 
as a complete suit of female apparel, in readiness to 
assume instantly, should circumstances require it, and 
finally, that I should leave home in the most secret man- 
ner, disclosing my viev^s to no one ; to which friendly 
advice I expressed my willingness to accede in every 
part, my friend promising me that when all was ready, 
she would furnish me with a soldier's suit throughout, 
and which she believed v^^ould prove an exact fit, being 
the same worn by her son. in his late expedition. 

All things necessary being soon provided, and I at- 
tired and equipped as above described, I left home, in 
the best of spirits, an hour before day, without the 
knowledge or most distant suspicion of any one but 
my confidential friend, with the trifling sum of five dol- 
lars, only, in my pocket. As the most plain and direct 
route to the place of my intended destination, I had 
concluded to travel the great western stage road, lea- 
ding from Albany to Buffalo ; I was sensible that the 
very trifling sum with which I had provided myself to 
defray my expenses on the way, would prove quite in- 
suflicient, without expended with very great prudence, 
and I too depended some on the generosity of my coun- 
trymen, who might suppose me, by my external ap- 
pearance, no other than one of those brave spirits about 
to engage in the defence, and maintenance of those 
rights, in which every true American would consider 
himself equally interested. 

In the performance of the few first miles of my jour- 
ney, I was, I must confess, under considerable appre- 
hension that I should be suspected, and the deception 
discovered as regarded the character that I had as- 
sumed, but having succeeded in reaching Whitesboro, 
in safety, and on my way thither, having been tw^o or 
three times accosted with no other appellation than 
" my brave fellow soldier," &c. My fears in that res- 
pect soon in a great measure subsided, and I began my- 
self to doubt whether I should be recognized or sus» 



11 

peeled cither by my brother, or step-mot lier, if intro- 
duced to them as tli« character that I was attt'iii|itini( 
to personate ! I tarried all njtflit at a respectal)le pub- 
lic house in Utica, at wliich also lodged lour sohlicrs 
direct from the lines, and recently dischar<j:cd from tlic 
service, as they reported, tlic time having expired for 
vrhich they had enlisted. By cacli of them 1 was cor- 
dially sliook by the hand, and accosted as a " brother 
soldier" bound to the tented field! from neither of 
"vvhom could I, on incjuiry, obtain any satisfactory in- 
formation of anv one attached to the army, with whom 
they had been acquainted, answering the descripliwli, 
or bearing the name of my brother. 

From Utica, I proceeded early the ensuing morning 
for Onondagua (hfty miles) to Avhicli place 1 was so 
fortunate as to obtain a conveyance, passage free, in a 
country waggon — the driver proved a good naturcd 
farmer, and a warm friend to the cause in which he 
supposed I was about to engage ! and repeatedly char- 
ged me to behave on the field of ])attlc, with that cou- 
rage, that became every true-hearted American Sol- 
dier ! observing that " although I bore the appearance 
of but a beardless youth, he doubted not I possessed a 
heart not altogether destitute of the frc of tlic fint /" 
On my assuring him that I should ever be found readv 
to obey the call of my country, and never to shrink 
from my duty, he seemed so much pleased, that, on our 
arrival at Onondagua, to refuse to receive anything as 
a consideration for my passage ! From tlie ilattering 
opinion which my generous fellow traveller had ex- 
pressed of my courage, soldier-like appearance, SiC, I 
now no longer entertained fears that I should either 
betray myself, or run any great risk of the suspicion 
of my sex. And it w^as fortunate for me, that I so soon 
after the commencement of my travels received, fnmi 
almost all that I met and was conversant with, similar 
encouragements, as it proved of great Ix-nefit to me m 
exhilarating my drooping spirits, at niomi'nts when 
most seriously reflecting that I was but a poor fri«»nd- 
less orphan, already many ndles from thi* liome from 



12 

which I had been unwillingly exiled, by the ill-treat 
ment of an unfeeling step-mother, and without a pro- 
tector, or an endearing friend, to drop the balm of pity 
into my afflicted bosom ! these sorrowful reflections 
were oft accompanied by deep and heart-felt sighs, 
and an overflow of tears ! Yet on the reflection that 
I had thus far received the protection of a kind and 
overruling Providence, which, if confided in, I could 
not doubt would still prove my friend, I would become 
more composed and reconciled to my lonely situation. 

From Onondagua I the day proceeding travelled on 
foot to Auburn, which I reached nearly b) sun-set^ and 
in season to secure a single bed in a public inn, well 
filled with guests, and where I too met with three more 
recently discharged soldiers, then bound home to their 
friends, and of whom I made a similar inquiry as of 
the others, regarding my brother, and from one re- 
ceived some encouraging information, that he had 
formed some small acquaintance while in the army 
with a young man bearing the same name, and answer- 
ing the description, precisely, that I had given him, as 
to complexion, color of hair, height, (&c. And as a 
further confirmation of the probable correctness of 
this information, he further remarked, that " from the 
resemblance that I bore the young man, to whom I al- 
luded, he should suppose us brothers /" that when he 
last saw him, he was attached to the Fifth Brigade of 
the Third Division, under the command of General 
Brown, and stationed within a short distance of the 
village of Buffalo. This encouraging information gave 
me new life to proceed, for, if it could be depended on, 
it was certain that not a very great distance now se- 
parated me from the dear friend whom I sought, and 
with whom, after a travel of a very few days more 
(even if performed on foot) would be sufficient to ac- 
complish all that I had cheerfully anticipated, and pro- 
duce the long wished for interview. 

I, the ensuing morning left Auburn, and in season 
to obtain a passage in the public mail stage for Bata- 
via, at which wc arrived late in the evening of the 



[3 



same day, and ^ here I tarried all niijlit, andllic niorn- 
inic ensuinc:, breakfasted at a table ■well tilled by l»..tli 
otHcers, and sokliers, to many of •whom fiirloui,di.s had 
been granted, and were then hastening to their respec- 
tive posts, agreeable to the general orders of their 
commander, issued in consequeuee of thee\-peetatii>n 
of a speedy and general engagement withiiu' enemy. 
With many of the privates I conversed freelv on sub- 
jects relating to the war; and the position occupied by 
the said Fifth Brigade, of the Tliird Division, and by 
whom, the information that I had the day previous 
received at Auburn was confirmed ; as the contents 
of my pur.>;e wa.s now reduced to a single ' half doll;. r. 
I solicited and obtained a passacfc to the suburbs of 
Buffalo in a private carriage, and at about the hour of 
3 P. M., as we approached the lines, the country began 
to bear the melancholy proofs of the ravages and 
devastation of war, and evervthincr t ■ indicate, that: 
tlie actual scene thereof could not be far distant : and 
a little before sunset, we arrived fair in view of the 
star spangled banners of the American camp, located 
a small distance on the left of the vilhii^e oflJulialo. 

The important moment had now arrived, in wfiich 
it became necessary for me to use my utmost skill in 
the performance of the deceptive part in which 1 had 
engaged, and in which I soon found that the character 
Tvhicb I had assumed, as well asthe American uniibrm 
with which I had disi^uised myself, was of great bene- 
fit to me, as thereby I was enabled the next morning, 
while in search of my brother, to jiass in and out of 
camp, and to mingle with, and freely to converse 
(when occasions required it) with my 'iellow soldiers," 
without the least hazard of the exposure of my sex! 
My first object (from the information that I had pre- 
viously received) was to make all possible inquiry 
throughout the said Fifth Briirade, for mv brother, anil 
which before the hour of l':^, was crowned with suc- 
cess, for fifteen minutes previous to that hour it was 
my good fortune to meet hi(n face to face ! and with 
■whom, altiiough the first private interview that 1 was 



14' 

permitted to hold was short, yet, it was as may be 
supposed, of the most interesting and affecting nature, 
for while he recognized in me the features of his be- 
loved sister, yet so effectually had I disguised myself, 
that it was some time before he could become satisfied 
that I was really the person whom I represented my- 
self to be; but, when fully convinced that I was no 
other, by a recurrence to past events, and by a melan- 
choly relation of the inhuman treatment that I had, in 
his absence, received from our unworthy step-mother, 
he became very sensibly affected, assuring me that I 
should not return home, until such time as he should 
be able to accompany me, 

My brother had not as I apprehended, enlisted to 
serve during the war, but there were almost eleven 
months of the time, for wiiich he had enlisted, yet to 
expire, and the important question arose at our next 
interview, how, and in what manner I was to be em- 
ployed, until the arrival of the period when he would 
be able, agreeable to his proposal, to accompany me 
home. Many different kinds of employment was sug- 
gested, in which I could engage, but as I still remain- 

.;.ed disguised, and my true character thereabouts un- 
known to any one but him, and myself, there was no 
plan proposed with which I was more satisfied, than 
that I should offer my services and become a soldier 
in good earnest, and enlist in a company of infantry of 
the same regiment, to which he was attached, for the 
short term of six months. To this my brother was un- 

• willing to assent, until assured by me that I could 
easily perform every duty imposed on me, and by re- 
cent experience, was ])Ositive that I could as fearlessly 
and expertly, charge and discharge a musket, as to 
perform any other part of the manual exercise, and 
even in case of a close engagement with the enemy, be- 
lieved in that particular I should not be found wanting 
in courage 1 — with this firm belief, and final consent 
of my brother,! immediately offered myself in the cha- 
racter that I proposed to personate, and without any 
suspicion on the part of the commanding officer, that 



15 

I was any other, and as such, as readily expressed his 
willin<;ness to accept my services. 

Having in more ihan one instance since I h'ft the 
place of my birth, jocosely boasted of my su})crior 
couraire, I did not iniairine that the tinRMvould so soon 
arrive in which that courage would be ])Ut to the (est! 
but so it happened, as the day ^ollo^vin^ that on which 
I eidisted, (Jen. Brown was by order of the Comman- 
der-in-Chief, (iicu. Wilkinson,) directed to cross Nia- 
£:ara river, with the troops under his conunand, and 
demand, the immediate surrender of the Hritisli 
Fort Erie ; and which by the enemy was instantly 
complied with, without resistance — hut a few miles 
therefore, near Chippeway, there were intrenched a 
very considerable body of the enemy which Gen. B. 
was next ordered to dislodge, but in the attenjpt of 
which the two contending armies met in an open field 
where an obstinate and bloody contest ensued, and con- 
tinued for more than two hours. I was part of tlie time 
eni^aged in the heat of the battle, and when I saw the 
killed and wounded lyinc: on my ri::^ht side and left, I 
felt my whole person invaded with a dei^ree of fear and 
trembling, to which 1 had never before been accus- 
tomed ! were however finally victorious, and drove the 
British from the field, with the loss of upwards of 500 
men, and with a loss on our part, of but 328 ! at tho 
moment of the termination of the bloody engagement, 
my brother hastened to learn my fate, and seemed over- 
joyed to find that I was still numbered ainonj,^ the liv- 
ing, and to learn from me that during tlie contest 1 had 
so bravely acted my [)art. 

Having so fortunately escaped injury in the first bat- 
tle in which it was my fortune to engage, my spirits he- 
came so much exhilirati'd thereat, with an increased 
desire as a heroine, to achieve in the cause of my coun- 
try, more than what had pnjbably ever before been per- 
lormed or attempted by my sex, I began soon to niani- 
ifest a dei;ree of impat ence for the arrival of another 
opportiinity in a similar manner, to test my valor! in 
which I was in a very few days gratified. On the me- 



16 

morable 25th of July, 1814, took place the desperate 
and bloody engagement at Bridge water, near the ca- 
taract of Niagara and in which it was unfortunately 
iny lot (as it proved) to take an active part — unfortu- 
nately, I say, because the effects of a most serious 
wound which I received on that occasion, will (in proof 
of my willingness to engage in the defence of my coun- 
try's rights) accompany me to my grave / that memo- 
rable engagement, probably, proved one of the most 
severe and warmly contested, that was fought during 
the last war. The American force was far inferior to 
that of the British, their loss in killed and wounded, 
was, in consequence equal, if not superior to that of 
the latter, among whom was General Brown and Scott, 
and many other valuable officers (wounded) and among 
the privates seriously, or mortally wounded, it was my 
misfortune to be numbered, at nearly the close of the 
battle, I unfortunately received a bullet wound in my 
arm. I was conveyed immediately thereupon by two 
of my comrades (by the sides of whom I had been en- 
gao^ed) in almost a fainting condition, to the Hospital, 
already filled with many more seriously wounded than 
myself, and where on the examination of my wound, 
the Surgeon pronounced the amputation of my arm in- 
dispensably necessary, to save my life. 

Fortunately for me, at this critical moment, my 
brother, having heard of my misfortune, arrived, and 
by representing himself my brother, solicited, and ob- 
tained the consent of my commanding officer to have 
me removed, previous to the operation, to the house of 
a friend, a short distance therefrom, where by every 
precautionary means used by me (assisted by my 
brother) to prevent the discovery of my sex, the pain- 
ful operation was performed by a neighboring surgeon 
— and when the wound had become sufficiently healed, 
and I had gained sufficient strength to endure it, my 
brother having obtained leave of absence from the ar- 
my for a few days.conveyed me to Williamsville, a small 
village situated eleven miles from the village of Buf- 
falo ; having previously advised me on the way to im- 



n 

prove the opportunity to cxcliaiiirc the suit of clothiiii; 
with which 1 had disi,^uised inyseir, tor the one still in 
my possession, and the one more aj)propriate to niv sex. 

At Willianisville my brotlier was so lortunale'as to 
obtain respectable be)ard lor me at llie house of a far- 
mer, to whom, ami to wliose family, 1 was introduced 
as his sister, -who bein*^ an ivalid, was anxious to im- 
prove a situation more remote from tlie scene of war 
than the one recently improved by me. With this fa- 
mily it was my brother's intention that I should abide 
(unless unforeseen circuuistanccs should render a re- 
moval necessary) until the ,ex|)iration of the time for 
which Jie liad enlisted, when, a-^reeable to what lie had 
proposed to me, he was to accompany me back to that 
home, for which I yet felt but very little attachment, 
although once the peacealjle mansion of my ])eloved 
father, and w here, w hilo with him, 1 had enjoyed re- 
pose and internal serenity. At my new home in Wil- 
lianisville, I spent my time very pleasantly, the whole 
family proved kind and airreeable, and in consequence 
of my being- disenabled by the loss of a limb, w Duld 
not in a single instance accept of mv proflered servi- 
ces, however light and easy to perform ; my most re- 
markable adventures, in the active part that 1 jiad so 
recently taken on the held of battle, or tlie true cause 
of the loss of my arm, was a secret that I thoui,dil it 
would be unwise in me to divulge to them, as thereby 
I knew that it was not improbable that thev mi^'ht 
form a less favorable opinion of me. Althoiiuh tiiev 
liad kindly refused to accept of my services in the per- 
formance of anything laborious, yet when my bodily 
strength became perfectly restored, for my ()wn pa.s- 
time, as well as to lessen the burdi-n of my brother in 
defraying the expense of my l)oard, as there were but 
few schools near, I engaged in the instruction of their 
youngest children, in their hrst le.ssons of reading; 
an occupation which 1 have, indeed, ever since fol- 
lowed from that period to the present for a li\ eli- 
hood. 

It is here worthy of remark, tbat although thus far 



18 

1 had been the subject of great afflictions, and drank 
of the cup of sorrow to its very dregs, yet not until in 
the course of the time spent with this pious and agree- 
able family, did I obtain possession of that jewel of 
inestimable value— that which produces a consolation 
that will mitigate the sorrow of life, soften the rugged 
road of disappointment, guide the poor penitent to the 
path of peace,when war tempestuous lowrs, and threa- 
tens the captive with instant destruction; a balm w hich 
heals the sting of the foul monster death, and is a pass- 
port to life everlasting — it was religion ! — and that re* 
ligion which is not to be attained by church formali- 
ties or a show of grace, but by fervent and unceasing- 
prayer. To you, my dear reader, and to every other 
one, permit me to recommend it as the ''one thing need- 
ful." 

I remained with the above mentioned pleasant fami- 
ly, perfectly happy, and a welcomed guest, until the 4th 
of April following, when the time of my brother's ser- 
vice having expired, after receiving an honorable dis- 
charge, he, agreeable to his promise, repaired immedi- 
ately to my place of abode, to advise me of his readi- 
ness to commence our premeditated journey homeward, 
from which he had been three, and I between one and 
two years absent, and which on our journey thither I 
found much more expeditious [improving the mail 
coach, or some other vehicle almost the whole way] 
and far less lonesome and dreary, than when travelled 
by me alone the fourteen months previous. It was 
about 12 at noon when we reached our journeys end, 
and the neighborhood of that home, which at another 
time, and under any other but the then existing circum- 
stances, would doubtless afforded us much joy and sa- 
tisfaction. The news of our arrival soon spread 
throughout the village, and although it was perfectly 
well known to most of those who had been our near- 
est neighbors, how and in what manner my brother 
had been employed in his absence, yet, the great mys- 
tery was, where I had been ! from whence returned in 
company with my brother ! and in what I could pos- 
sibly have been engaged to cause the loss of my arm! 



19 

an idle curiosity wliich lu-ither my brother or invsoli' 
felt at that time much dispost-d to gralily. 

As soon as possible after luy return, my first and 
greatest object, was, not to visit the loathsome abode of 
my step-mother ! hut to hasten to that t>f one who had 
been my rail friend, in my darkest hours of desponden- 
cy and tribulation, and whom 1 found eiijoymi,' tiiat 
degree of health that 1 could have wished her, as but 
a small reward for the kind services that she had ren- 
dered me. To her, and her ah)ne, I unhesitatingly 
imparted every important particular of the siiii^uhir 
and astonishing adventures that had attended me du- 
ring my absence ; it w as at the hospitable mansion of 
this much respected friend, that hotli my brother, and 
myself, were invited to consider our hctme, until such 
time as wc should be othcrwaysprovided for, and which 
kind invitation we thankrully accepted of, and, as re- 
garded myself, fearless of the displeasure that it once 
■would have caused, in the mind of one, to whom I con- 
sidered myself in no way indebted, hut for that disre- 
gard which she had manifested for me, and to which 
alone might be attributed that degree of regard and 
respect which my friend and benefactress appeared 
still to entertain for me. Nearly one week passed 
after our return, before either my brother, or myself, 
could conceive it a duty, or feel in any way inclined so 
far to trouble ourselves, as to call on our step-mother, 
to receive either her blessings, or, what was more 
probable, additional proofs of her ill-will and total dis- 
regard for us, although she was at that time the only 
occupant of the mansion in which we had both spent 
many happy moments while receiving the fond cares 
of a doting parent. 

As the pecuniary reward received by my brother, 
for his late military services, could not as mii^ht be sup- 
posed amount to a very considerable sum, l*roviilence 
dictated that we should not remain too long idle, ])ut 
be on the look-out for some future emplcsment, that 
might allbrd us, at least, a humble subsi.stence : as re- 
garded myself, although it had been tlie will of Provi- 
dence that I should in t^he prime ol life, be deprived of 



20 

one of my useful and precious limbs, yet, that same 
kind and unerring Providence, had thereby directed 
me to the best and only means by which my desired 
object could be effected", which was that of continuing 
in a profession in which I had so recently been suc- 
cessfully engaged, (to wit:) an instructress ofyouth-= 
while my brother concluded to turn his attention to 
that of farming, of which, by early experience, he had 
some knowledge. By the influence and kind interpo- 
sition of my female friend, and in consideration of my 
being unable (by the loss of my arm) to attend to 
anymore laborious business, I succeeded with but very 
little difficulty in obtaining a school, composed, at the 
commencement, of a sufficient number of pupils to 
answer present purposes ; and in which pleasing em- 
ployment, I have ever since (upwards of twenty-five 
years) been almost constantly and satisfactorily en- 
gaged, apartof the time within my own native village, 
and the remainder but a few miles therefrom ; ever 
carefully concealing from all,but my kind benefactress, 
(and a few confidential friends to whom I have withm 
the last few months disclosed it) the great secret of 
my extraordinary adventures in early life, as contain- 
ed in the preceding pages. 

It was but six months since that I was called to de- 
moan the loss of my beloved and only brother, a loss, 
as might be supposed, quite irreparable to me, as he 
was the only near and dear connexion that I possess- 
ed for many years, and one who from the years of my 
earliest child-hood, had proved peculiarly affectionate 
and kind to me ; as I had no other to whom to look 
for support and protection, after the death of my fa- 
ther, so in older life he has been my chief dependence. 
In furnishing my readers with the most important and 
interesting particulars of my early life, I have neces- 
sarily acquainted them at the same time with those 
of my lamented brother, they were indeed so interwo- 
ven, that they could not be well seperated. After his 
return from his expedition to the west, by strict appli- 
cation to business, as an Agriculturist, he became 
highly respected, and having tnarried at the age of 



21 

thirty, by his industry accumulated sufTicicnt property 
to enable him to alio rd decent support to his numer- 
ous family; he was indeed a brother most worthy to 
be beloved and respected by me, havinii: ahvays mani- 
fested for me, to his dyinii; day, a <;reat dei^ree of regard 
and alfection, not only on account of my having been 
in early life the unhappy subject of the most severe 
and better persecution of an unfeeling step-uiolher, 
but the sad misfortune (the loss of a limb) that atten- 
ded me in my endeavours to escape from the elfects of 
her ungovernable passion ! for the reasons above men- 
tioned, he has, while living, ever declared to me that 
I should never want for decent support while his life 
was spared, and he in a condition to afford it to me ! 
But, alas, he has been taken from me, and what ren- 
ders the event still more melancholy, near the peri- 
od, I fear, when it is not improbable I shall most 
want his proffered assistance. 

Having now reached the advanced age of between 
forty-five and fifty, and finding myself, by reason of 
my inHrmatics, less able to support myself tlian form- 
erly, as additional aid, I have finally, with some degree 
of reluctance, yielded to the advice and persuasions of 
some of my most valuable and respected friends (to 
whom I but recently accpiainted with the facts) to 
have my interesting adventures published, and pre- 
sented to the public, and which I assure my readers 
I have now done without exaggeration, or in a single 
instance, a wilful perversion of truth ; but with the 
flattering prospects that the trilling profits arising from 
the sale (by wiiich I am alone to be benefited) will 
serve in some measure to supply my wants and allevi- 
ate my sorrows in the declining years of my life — to all 
I could therefore say, wdio shall be pleased to become 
the purchasers of my Narrative, that they will not 
only (as 1 sincerely hope they may) be entertained 
and perfectly satisfied with its contents, but receive 
a still further satisfaction in the assurance that the 
profits j)roiUu'ed by its publication and sale, will be 
faithfully applied io the present and future wants of 
their respected fricrd,, « The Authoress. 



CONCLUDING REMARKS, 

Should there be any doubts in the minds of the readers of 
Miss Johnson's Narrative, as regards the truth and possibiUty of 
her escaping the discovery of her sex, when so exposed as sh& 
must have been in her lonely and unprotected journey to the 
west, and more particularly when most seriously and actively 
engaged on the battle field, we not only quote her own remarks 
in that respect but subjoin a somewhat similar, but still more ex- 
traordinary instance of female valour and achievement. In the 
first place Miss J. observes (in confirmation of what &he has sta- 
ted) that from her own experience she became perfectly satis- 
fied, that a female might at any time, with proper precaution, 
pass disguised in male habiliments before the most penetrating 
eyes, and without causing the most distant suspicion of her sexl 
and further remarked, that she doubted not but at that moment, 
there were many females travelling, by both sea and land, in the 
semblance of males ! The still more remarkable instance to 
which we have alluded, is that relating to the celebrated he- 
roine, Mrs. Gannett, of Sharon, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 
who, when in the eighteenth year of her age, at the period when 
our Revolutionary struggle commenced, the newa of the carnage 
which had taken place on the plains of Lexington, reached her 
father's dweUing. The sound of the cannon at the battle of 
Bunker Hill, had vibrated on her ears ; yet, instead of diminish- 
ing her ardor, it only served to increase her enthusiasm in the 
sacred cause of liberty, in which cause she beheld her country 
engaged. She privately quitted her peaceful home, and the ha- 
biliments of her sex, and appeared at the head quarters of the 
American army as a young man, anxious to join his efforts to 
those of his countrymen, in their endeavors to oppose the inroads 
and encroachments of the common enemy. She was received 
and enrolled in the army by the name of Robert Shurtliffe. 
For the space of three years she performed the duties and en- 



23 

(lured the linrclships and fatigues of a soldier, durinjT which lime 
she gaiucd the coufidcnce of her oflicers by her expcrtncss and 
precision in the manual exercise, and by her exemplary conduct. 
She was a volunteer in several hazardous enterprises, and was 
twice wounded by musket balls. So well did she contrive to 
conceal her sex, that her companions m arms had not the least 
suspicion that the bloomini^ soldier fighting by their sides was a 
female; till at length, a severe wound, which she received in 
battle, and which had well-nigh closed her earthly campain, oc- 
casioned the discovery. On her recovery she (juitted the army 
and became intimate in the families of Gen. AVashiniJton and 
other distinguished oflicers of the Revolution — at the close of the 
war she petitioned the American Congress for a pension, which 
was granted her and which she enjoyed until the day of her 
death. Soon after the termination of the war she was married, 
and became the motlicr of several children, some of whom arc 
still living in the state of Massachusetts. 



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